Avatar 2: What We Want

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IGN suggests where James Cameron can take the franchise.

By Orlando Parfitt

When IGN spoke to James Cameron last month, he said that he already had two sequels for sci-fi epic Avatar mapped out in his head and that if the movie found an audience he would get working on parts two and three straight away. A couple of weeks on, and Avatar is on its way to becoming one of the most profitable films of all time, having just passed the $1bn mark at the worldwide box office. Suffice to say Avatar is now a franchise, but in what direction can Cameron take future instalments? Here at IGN we have a few suggestions. (This article contains spoilers.)

THE CORPORATION STRIKES BACK

Avatar concluded with the battered remnants of humanity trudging dejectedly into spaceships, preparing to leave Pandora after the Na'vi (and the forces of nature) kicked their collective asses. Something tells us that the human race will be back however. The planet is still the only source of uber-valuable mineral Unobtonium, and sinister corporation the Resources Development Administration - who were mining the ore first time round - will not take their defeat at the hands of the indigenous aliens lying down.

The franchise is therefore set up for an almighty 'round two' between humans and the Na'vi. We envisage huge spaceships bombarding the surface of Pandora from the skies and then unleashing vast armies of soldiers onto the surface for a massive ground assualt. Perhaps the humans will have upgraded weapons and vehicles, whilst the Na'vi could also find new ways of fighting back. The giant alien bugs firing energy bolts out of their backsides at the Federation spaceships during Starship Troopers spring to mind.

Revenge: The RDA will surely be looking for payback in the sequel.

Avatar 2 - as the middle part of the trilogy - could be the Empire Strikes Back of the franchise ('Revenge of the Corporation maybe?'), the episode which ends with the bad guys holding the upper hand. What could be a better set-up for part three than concluding with a full-scale human occupation of Pandora - which would pave the way for an heroic fightback in the finale?

RETURN TO EARTH

Another direction in which Cameron could take the series is by taking the Na'vi off Pandora and bringing them to earth. Our planet is described in the movie as war-torn and polluted, and it would certainly be intriguing to see the director visualise just how much we mess up our planet in the next 200 years. A dirty, dying earth would also make a great contrast to the beautiful Pandora.

How could this be worked into the story? Perhaps either Jake, or even better the oversensitive Neytiri, could be captured by the RDA and sent in shackles back to earth. Maybe this could prompt an extraterrestrial rescue attempt? Whichever way it's worked into the story, the idea of seeing the Na'vi taken out of their comfort zone and forced to adapt to new surroundings is an intriguing one.